Exit... Stage Right: String Quartet Tribute to Rush

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 2, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vitamin Records
• ASIN: B000068QYH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,982 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classy tribute to Rush, November 18, 2002

By 

Jack Fitzgerald "JFD" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Exit... Stage Right: String Quartet Tribute to Rush (Audio CD)

"Exit...Stage Right" is a string quartet tribute to Rush which follows the track listing to Rush's 1981 release "Exit...Stage Left."

Choosing from the second live album by Rush allows a good selection from one of Rush's key progressive and inspired periods. There are cuts from "Farewell to Kings," "Hemispheres," "Permanent Waves," and "Moving Pictures" as well as a couple tidbits from earlier albums.

Like most tribute albums, this collection will appeal primarily to Rush fans, especially those who prefer the earlier music from the 1970s and early 80s. I've also thought of springing some of these gems on family members who are not rock fans to see what they think.

The translation from electric instruments, especially bass and drums, was a challenge and not always entirely successful. Naturally, the six-string guitar parts and keyboards translated better with violins and cellos.

The intro to Spirit of Radio shimmers on violin and there is a really cool middle part, but the violins doing the vocal parts come off as a little screechy. Well, the same could sometimes be said about Geddy Lee's voice. I guess it's an acquired taste kind of thing.

I really enjoyed the version of Red Barchetta, with lush strings and beautiful counterpoint throughout the melody.

YYZ does not fare so well. It's hard to duplicate funk and jazz on cellos and string bassess. Sorry. The part where the keyboards come in was better.

A Passage to Bangkok is a pleasant surprise, loaded with lots of great counterpoint between treble and bass parts.

Closer to the Heart retains much of the emotion and spirit of the original melody, but the guitar solo didn't quite work for me. The vocal arrangement definitely made up for that.

Beneath, Between and Behind ends up sounding very busy and the vocal part is too tinny.

Jacob's Ladder, with its mathematical structure and guitar/bass/percussion triple counterpoint works well in the classical medium. There is a lot of nice layering on this abbreviated version.

Broon's Bane, a solo guitar piece by Alex Lifeson, comes out sounding very beautiful, with some additional layers to add depth. The segueway into The Trees is very smooth and the intro to that song works very effectively. Even the part where the tempo picks up flows nicely. The rock parts could have been choppy, but there is a really nice arrangement into the keyboard solo with some wonderful melodic counterpoint. Remember, Neal Peart's drum parts have mostly been eliminated or taken over by string basses, so some cool parts get left out.

Xanadu features a few electrical enhancements and is probably one of the best arrangements on the disk. There is a lot of nice melody and rhythm counterpoint and the vocal part comes across very nicely. You can see how Rush had a definite symphonic bent around some of their songs.

On Freewill, there is again some unexpected counterpoint with the guitar and keyboard parts, but the bass cannot duplicate Geddy Lee's style. There's something missing...oh yes, drums and the bass solo and jam is completely eliminated.

Tom Sawyer again pales in comparison to the original, sounding choppy and not particularly melodic. The guitar solo with the added bass part makes up for this but still this doesn't quite work.

It's difficult to review a set of songs against their originals, but when comparing classical versions to originals by a rock trio, there will be pieces and parts that work and some that don't. Still, I found this to be an interesting disk and worth exploration into how music parts flow together.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Appreciation, November 17, 2002

By 

fred jones (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exit... Stage Right: String Quartet Tribute to Rush (Audio CD)

As a classical musician and teacher, I have listened to and performed a multitude of pieces ranging in a multitude of styles. I am also a Rush fan and have been since the 70s. I was introduced to "Exit Stage Right" by a student of mine. I liked the CD so much that I bought six copies, 1 for myself and five as Christmas gifts for family members and friends. The arrangements are brilliantly scored to achieve an excellent adaptation from electric bass, electric guitar and drums to a much more physically demanding and challenging acoustic/fretless rendition. I must say that these performers are amazing and this recording is as good as it gets from an orchestral standpoint. This is a must have recording for any Rush or Quartet Aficionado. I recently received my Recording Academy Ballots for the 45th Annual Grammy Awards and saw that this CD is up for Instrumental Pop Album Of The Year... It is definately getting my vote!!!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great music for a Rush-loving doctor's office!, July 8, 2002

By 

Vincent Rozyczko (Ithaca, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exit... Stage Right: String Quartet Tribute to Rush (Audio CD)

Having just seen 2 Rush concerts in the past week, I still have live Rush sounds and sights in my head that return and resonate when I listen to String Quartet Tribute to Rush. With that disclaimer out of the way, I highly recommend this album to hardcore Rush fans as well as the casual listener. There are no jarring keyboards/vocals from Geddy, nor any brilliant Peart drumming, but if you have the songs imbedded in your acoustic memory you can fill in the blanks to please you as you wish. Standout songs IMHO are Red Barchetta, YYZ, The Trees, and Freewill, but no song is unlistenable. Regarding the title of this review, I may very well keep this CD for years so I can use it as "office music" if/when I own my own practice someday. Some visitors will appreciate the "classical" sound, while others may recognize the rock origins of the music. It's not "Something for Nothing", it's something for everyone!